JP2003031359A - Thin film manufacturing device and organic electroluminescent element manufactured using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin film manufacturing device capable of reducing a wasteful film forming material while improving the production efficiency of a display or the like applying an organic EL element. SOLUTION: This thin film manufacturing device is provided with two cassettes for enclosing a plurality of substrates in piles; a film forming device for forming a film on the lowermost substrate out of a plurality of substrates enclosed in piles in one cassette; and a transfer member for transferring the substrate formed with the film, to the other cassette every time the film is formed on one substrate. The film forming device has a film forming chamber, and the film formation and transfer of the substrate are performed inside the film forming chamber.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thin film manufacturing apparatus and an organic electroluminescence (organic EL) element manufactured by using the apparatus, and particularly to thin film formation used for continuous production of organic EL elements or manufacturing of organic EL elements. The present invention relates to a thin film manufacturing apparatus suitable for continuous production of donor sheets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of the techniques for forming an organic thin film, there is a vacuum vapor deposition method. This vacuum vapor deposition method heats an evaporation source in a vacuum to form a thin film on a substrate. A resistance heating evaporation source, an electron beam evaporation source or a laser beam evaporation source that evaporates by directly irradiating the film forming material with an electron beam or a laser beam, as an evaporation source for heating and evaporating the film forming material in the vacuum evaporation method. It has been known.

In recent years, as one of methods for forming a thin film on a substrate, a thermal transfer method has been known in which a transfer layer of a donor sheet for thin film formation is thermally transferred onto the substrate (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-260549). reference).

More specifically, the thin-film forming donor sheet comprises a sheet made of polyethylene terephthalate, etc., on which a photothermal conversion layer made of epoxy resin mixed with carbon particles and a transfer layer made of a desired thin film are sequentially formed. It was done. Then, the donor sheet for thin film formation is brought into close contact with the substrate, a laser is irradiated from the back surface of the sheet to thermally transfer the transfer layer to the substrate, and then the sheet is removed to obtain a desired thin film on the substrate.

Since this thermal transfer method takes a method of obtaining a desired thin film on a substrate by thermal transfer, the transfer layer is required to have no defects and to be uniform in film thickness and film quality.

[0006]

Generally, when an organic thin film is formed on a substrate, the organic material is easily decomposed, is weak against impacts of ions and electrons, and many materials are sublimated and evaporated by powder. For the above reasons, the above-mentioned vacuum deposition method is used. Further, as a method of forming a transfer layer of a donor sheet for forming a thin film, a vacuum vapor deposition method is used because a uniform film thickness and film quality can be obtained.

However, in the vacuum vapor deposition method, since the area where the film can be formed with a uniform film thickness and film quality is limited, the size (area) of the substrate or the donor sheet on which the film can be formed is naturally limited. Further, in the conventional vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, it is necessary to carry in a substrate and a donor sheet to be deposited one by one into the deposition chamber,
Due to the time required for substrate replacement, the production efficiency is reduced and many film forming materials are wasted. Therefore, when mass-producing a display or the like to which the organic EL element is applied, the number of displays that can be manufactured at one time is reduced, which has been a problem in improving production efficiency.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and it is possible to improve the production efficiency of a display or the like to which an organic EL element is applied and to reduce the amount of wasted film forming material. A device is provided.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a film is formed on two cassettes for accommodating a plurality of substrates in an overlapping manner and on the lowest substrate among the plurality of substrates accommodated in one of the cassettes. And a transfer member for transferring the formed substrate to the other cassette every time one substrate is formed, and the film forming apparatus has a film forming chamber, Among them, it provides a thin film manufacturing apparatus in which film formation and transfer of a substrate are performed.

That is, the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is
Equipped with two cassettes that can accommodate multiple substrates in a stack,
Film formation is performed on the substrate located at the bottom of one cassette accommodating a plurality of substrates in the film formation chamber, and the substrates on which film formation has been completed are sequentially transferred to the other empty cassette. For this reason, the time required to replace the board can be shortened compared to the past.
Furthermore, since the time required for substrate replacement is shortened, it is possible to reduce wasted film forming materials.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A transport member capable of loading and unloading the two cassettes into and from the film deposition chamber was further provided, and the transport member carried in one of the cassettes containing the substrate requiring film deposition into the film deposition chamber and completed the transfer. The other cassette may be configured to be carried out from the film forming chamber.

With such a configuration, it is possible to efficiently carry in and carry out each cassette, and it is possible to further shorten the time required for substrate exchange and improve the production efficiency. In addition, since the time required for substrate exchange is shortened, the film forming material that is wasted is further reduced. Note that, as a specific example of the transfer member, for example, a substrate transfer robot or the like can be cited.

Further, in the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the film forming chamber is composed of a plurality of film forming chambers, a transfer chamber provided adjacent to each film forming chamber, and two cassettes respectively forming the transfer chamber and each film forming chamber. And a carrier member capable of carrying between the chambers, wherein the carrier member carries one of the cassettes, in which the substrates requiring film formation are accommodated, from the carrier chamber into one film forming chamber, and then to the substrate therein. When the film formation of one layer and the transfer to the other cassette are completed, the transferred cassette is carried into the next film formation chamber through the transfer chamber and the next layer is laminated to another cassette. A plurality of layers may be laminated on the substrate by repeating the process of transferring to and carrying out.

With this configuration, each cassette can be efficiently transported between each film forming chamber and the transport chamber, and desired thin films can be stacked while shortening the time required for substrate exchange. it can. This improves the production efficiency when forming a thin film stack on the substrate. Also, since the time required for substrate exchange in each film forming chamber is shortened,
Wasted film forming materials in each film forming chamber are reduced. A gate valve is provided between the transfer chamber and each film forming chamber, and the transfer member is configured to transfer each cassette between the transfer chamber and each film forming chamber through the gate valve. May be.

In the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the film forming chamber is provided with an evaporation source for heating the film forming material, a patterning mask, and a shutter mechanism, and the patterning mask and the shutter mechanism are arranged between the evaporation source and the substrate. Then, a thin film having a predetermined pattern may be formed on the substrate.

With this structure, since patterning is performed at the same time as film formation, there is no need to perform patterning processing after film formation, and substrates formed in one film formation chamber can be successively formed into the next film. It can be transported to the membrane chamber. Therefore, the production efficiency is improved particularly when the display etc. to which the organic EL element is applied are mass-produced. The patterning mask determines the film formation pattern, and may be attached to the bottom of each cassette.

In the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, each substrate may be held in advance by the substrate holder. With this structure, it is possible to prevent damage to the substrate that requires film formation and improve the yield. The lower surface of each substrate holder may be the above-mentioned patterning mask.

Further, in the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate may be a substrate for an organic electroluminescence device having a hole injection electrode or an electron injection electrode formed on the surface. According to this structure, the film is formed on the substrate on which one of the hole injecting electrode and the electron injecting electrode is formed in advance. Therefore, the production when manufacturing a display or the like to which the organic EL element is applied is performed. Efficiency is further improved.

The present invention also provides an organic electroluminescent element manufactured by using the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

Further, in the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate may be a thin film forming donor sheet for an organic electroluminescence device having a photothermal conversion layer formed on the surface thereof. According to this structure, the transfer layer of the donor sheet for forming a thin film can be formed by using the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, so that the production efficiency in forming the thin film on the substrate by using the thermal transfer method is improved.

The present invention also provides an organic electroluminescent element manufactured by using the thin film forming donor sheet formed by the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

From another point of view, the present invention includes two cassettes for accommodating a plurality of substrates in an overlapping manner, a film forming apparatus having a film forming chamber for forming a film on the substrates, and the cassette. A transfer member that can transfer the substrate between the film forming chambers is provided,
The transfer member also provides a thin film manufacturing apparatus that carries in a substrate, which is required to be deposited in one cassette, into a deposition chamber and, when the deposition of the substrate is completed, unloads the substrate to the other cassette. is there.

That is, in the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention described above, a plurality of substrates that require film formation are stacked and accommodated in one cassette, and the substrates are carried into the film formation chamber one by one from this cassette. After the film formation, the film is taken out of the film formation chamber and stored in the other empty cassette. For this reason,
The time required for substrate exchange can be shortened as compared with the conventional case, and further, the time required for substrate exchange can be shortened, so that wasteful film forming materials can be reduced.

In the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention described above, the film forming chamber comprises a plurality of film forming chambers, and further comprises a transfer chamber which is provided adjacent to each film forming chamber and in which two cassettes are arranged. The member is carried into one film forming chamber from one cassette, and the substrate on which one layer has been formed is carried into the next film forming chamber via the other cassette in the carrier chamber to stack the next layer. A plurality of layers may be laminated on the substrate by repeating the process of carrying out the substrate to another substrate holder cassette.

With this structure, the substrate can be efficiently transported between the film forming chambers and the transport chamber, and desired thin films can be stacked while shortening the time required for substrate exchange. . This improves the production efficiency when forming a thin film stack on the substrate. Further, since the time required for substrate exchange in each film forming chamber is shortened, the film forming material wasted in each film forming chamber is reduced.

In the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention described above, the film forming chamber is provided with an evaporation source for heating the film forming material, a patterning mask, and a shutter mechanism, and the patterning mask and the shutter mechanism are provided between the evaporation source and the substrate. And may be configured to form a thin film having a predetermined pattern on the substrate.

With this structure, since patterning is performed at the same time as film formation, there is no need to perform patterning processing after film formation, and substrates formed in one film formation chamber can be successively formed into the next film. It can be transported to the membrane chamber. Therefore, the production efficiency is improved particularly when the display etc. to which the organic EL element is applied are mass-produced. The patterning mask determines the film formation pattern, and may be attached to the bottom of each cassette.

In the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention described above, each substrate may be held in advance by the substrate holder. With this structure, it is possible to prevent damage to the substrate that requires film formation and improve the yield.
The lower surface of each substrate holder may be the above-mentioned patterning mask.

Further, in the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention described above, the substrate may be a substrate for an organic electroluminescence element having a hole injection electrode or an electron injection electrode formed on the surface thereof. According to this structure, since the film is formed on the substrate on which either the hole injecting electrode or the electron injecting electrode is previously formed, the organic EL
The production efficiency when manufacturing a display or the like to which the element is applied is further improved.

The present invention also provides an organic electroluminescence element manufactured by using the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

Further, in the above-described thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate may be a thin film forming donor sheet for an organic electroluminescence device having a photothermal conversion layer formed on the surface thereof. According to this structure, the transfer layer of the donor sheet for forming a thin film can be formed by using the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, so that the production efficiency in forming the thin film on the substrate by the thermal transfer method is improved.

The present invention also provides an organic electroluminescence element manufactured by using the thin film forming donor sheet formed by the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

However, the application of the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the manufacture of organic EL elements, and can be widely used in the thin film manufacturing of elements and devices other than organic EL elements.

The substrate on which the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention can form a film is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include metals such as glass and aluminum, polyester, polyacryl, and the like.
Substrates made of plastic such as polyepoxy, polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate and polysulfone can be mentioned. However, since an organic EL device is usually constructed by sequentially stacking a hole injection electrode, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer (organic layer), an electron transport layer and an electron injection electrode on a transparent substrate, the organic EL device according to the present invention Examples of the substrate suitable for manufacturing an organic EL element using a thin film manufacturing apparatus include a glass substrate and the like.

In addition, since the organic EL element normally takes out the light emitted from the substrate side, a transparent or semitransparent electrode is preferable as the hole injection electrode. As a transparent electrode,
Examples thereof include ITO (tin-doped indium oxide), IZO (zinc-doped indium oxide), and ZnO. Among them, ITO or IZO is preferable.

In order to enhance injection of holes, polyvinylcarbazole, polysilane, polythiophene derivative,
A polymer buffer layer such as PEDOT / PSS (polyethylene dioxythiophene doped with polyethylene sulfonic acid) may be laminated.

The hole injecting electrode may have any thickness as long as it is capable of sufficiently injecting holes, and its upper limit is not particularly limited. However, if it is too thick, peeling may occur.
If it is too thin, there are problems in film strength during film formation, hole transport ability, resistance value, and the like. Therefore, the preferable film thickness of the hole injecting electrode is in the range of about 50 to 500 nm, and more preferably in the range of about 50 to 300 nm.

As the hole transport material of the hole transport layer,
Any photoconductive material conventionally used as a hole charge transport material or a known material used as a hole transport material for an electroluminescent device can be selected and used.

Examples of the hole transport material include low molecular compounds such as triazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, imidazole derivatives, polyarylalkane derivatives, pyrazoline derivatives, pyrazolone derivatives, phenylenediamine derivatives, oxazole derivatives, styrylanthracene derivatives and fluorenone. Examples thereof include derivatives, hydrazone derivatives, and stilbene derivatives, but are not limited to these.

Further, an additive having a function of increasing the hole injecting and transporting ability may be added to these hole transporting materials.
Generally, the thickness of the hole transport layer is preferably in the range of about 1 nm to 1 μm, and may be composed of two or more layers if necessary.

As the light emitting material of the above light emitting layer, a metal oxinoid compound (8-hydroxyquinoline metal complex, butadiene derivative, coumarin derivative, dicyanomethylenepyran derivative, fluorescein derivative, perylene derivative, perinone derivative, aminopyrene) is used as a low molecular weight material. Examples thereof include derivatives, benzoxazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, oxazole derivatives, thiadiazole derivatives, styrylamine derivatives, bisstyrylbenzene derivatives, trisstyrylbenzene derivatives, and the like, but are not limited to these. The film thickness is preferably in the range of about 1 nm to 1 μm, and may be composed of two or more layers if necessary.

The electron transporting material of the electron transporting layer is as follows.
Any material can be selected and used from materials conventionally used as electron charge transporting materials in photoconductive materials and known materials used as electron transporting materials in electroluminescent devices.

Examples of the electron transport material include oxadiazole derivatives, triazole derivatives, benzoquinone derivatives, naphthoquinone derivatives, anthraquinone derivatives, tetracyanoanthraquinodimethane derivatives, diphenoquinone derivatives, fluorenone derivatives and metal oxinoid compounds as organic compounds. Examples thereof include, but are not limited to:

Further, an additive having a function of increasing the electron injecting and transporting ability may be added to these electron transporting materials.
Generally, the thickness of the electron transport layer is preferably within the range of about 1 nm to 1 μm.

As the electron injection electrode, a substance having a low work function is preferable, and examples thereof include K, Li, Na, Mg and L.
a, Ce, Ca, Sr, Ba, Al, Ag, In, S
It is preferable to use a simple metal element such as n, Zn, or Zr, or a two-component or three-component alloy system containing them in order to improve stability.

As the alloy system, for example, LiF / Al,
Li ₂ O / Al, Ca / Al, Ca / Ag, Ba / A
g, Mg / Ag co-deposition layer, Li / Al co-deposition layer, Mg /
An In co-deposited layer or the like is preferable. The electron injection electrode can also be formed by vapor deposition or sputtering.

The thickness of the electron injecting electrode may be a certain thickness or more capable of sufficiently injecting electrons, and is about 0.1 nm or more,
The upper limit is not particularly limited as long as it is preferably about 1 nm or more. However, normally, the film may be formed to have a film thickness of about 1 to 500 nm.

The present invention is also directed to the production of a thin film forming donor sheet using the thin film producing apparatus according to the present invention, and the production of an organic EL element using the thin film forming donor sheet. The thin film forming donor sheet is a sheet in which a photothermal conversion layer and a transfer layer are formed on a base material sheet which supports the entire donor sheet.

Therefore, in the present invention, as the above-mentioned substrate sheet, one made of a transparent polymer material can be used. As such a polymer material, for example, most resins such as polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyacryl, polyepoxy, polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polysulfone and the like can be mentioned.

The photothermal conversion layer may be a layer capable of efficiently converting laser light into heat, and examples thereof include a metal layer made of aluminum, its oxide and / or its sulfide, carbon black, graphite or An organic layer made of a polymer to which an infrared absorbing dye or the like is added can be used as the photothermal conversion layer. Further, as the transfer layer,
A transfer layer can be formed by sequentially stacking the hole transport layer, the light emitting layer, and the electron transport layer on the photothermal conversion layer.

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Further, members common to a plurality of embodiments described below will be described using the same reference numerals.

First Embodiment A thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view for schematically explaining the configuration of the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes first and second substrate holder cassettes (two cassettes) 3a for accommodating a plurality of substrates 2 in an overlapping manner. 3b, a film forming apparatus 4 for forming a film on the lowermost substrate 2 of the plurality of substrates 2 accommodated in the first substrate holder cassette 3a, and one substrate 2 are formed. A transfer member 5 for transferring the substrate 2 formed for each film to the second substrate holder cassette 3b is provided, and the film formation apparatus 4 has a film formation chamber 6 in which film formation and transfer of the substrate 2 are performed. It is configured to be replaced.

Here, the substrates 2 requiring film formation are respectively held by the substrate holders 7 and then housed in the first substrate holder cassette 3a, and are transferred by the transfer member 8 to the transfer chamber 9
Is transferred into the film forming chamber 6 through the gate valve 10.
The film forming chamber 6 is filled with the vapor of the film forming material heated by the evaporation source 11, and the film is formed on the substrate 2 located at the lowest position of the first substrate holder cassette 3a. When forming a film, the first substrate holder cassette 3a is rotated by the rotating means 1.
Rotated by 4. A shutter 12 is provided above the evaporation source 11. Also, the evaporation source 11
It is desirable to change the number and the arrangement according to the size of the substrate 2 on which the film is formed.

The substrate 2 at the lowest position after the film formation is completed is a transfer member 5 installed in the film formation chamber 6 (for example, a flat plate having a thickness of one substrate holder is attached to the tip of the linear introduction terminal). Only the substrate 2 located at the lowest position is pushed out of the first substrate holder cassette 3a by the slider) and slides laterally, and is put together with the substrate holder 7 into the second substrate holder cassette 3b holding the film-formed substrate 2.

After that, film formation is performed on the newly lowest substrate 2, and when the film formation is completed, the film is similarly moved laterally by the transfer member 5. Then, the previously formed substrate 2 already contained in the second substrate holder cassette 3a is transferred to the upper and lower transfer members 13 (for example, a flat plate having the same size as the substrate holder attached to the tip of the linear introduction terminal, and the flat plate). (A member composed of a leaf spring attached to the substrate holder) and the substrate holder 7 are raised upward, and the film-formed substrate 2 is slid below the substrate holder 7 to be vertically stacked in order and stored. Go.

When the film formation on all the substrates 2 is completed,
The second substrate holder cassette 3b is transferred to the transfer chamber 9 by the transfer member 8. The second substrate holder cassette 3b carried out to the transfer chamber 9 is then carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown), and another film is formed on the substrate 2 stored at the bottom of the second holder cassette 3b. A thin film of material is deposited. The substrate 2 for which film formation has been completed is transferred to another substrate holder cassette (not shown) in the same manner as above.

Here, another substrate holder cassette is used in the previous film forming chamber 6 and the already empty first substrate holder cassette 3a is carried into the next film forming chamber by the carrying member 8 for use. Alternatively, a newly prepared third substrate holder cassette may be used. After that, the above steps are repeated until a desired number of thin films are stacked, and then, the thin film is formed by the thin film manufacturing apparatus 1 by being carried out of the transfer chamber 9 to the outside.

Embodiment 2 A thin film manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 21 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes first and second substrate holder cassettes (two cassettes) 3a for accommodating a plurality of substrates 2 in an overlapping manner. 3b, a film forming apparatus 4 having a film forming chamber 6 for forming a film on the substrate 2, first and second
A transport member 8 capable of transporting the substrate 2 between the substrate holder cassettes 3a and 3b and the film forming chamber 6 is provided.
The substrate 2 which is required to be deposited in the substrate holder cassette 3a is loaded into the deposition chamber 6, and when the deposition of the substrate 2 is completed, the substrate 2 is unloaded to the second substrate holder cassette 3b. ing.

Here, the substrates 2 for which film formation is required are respectively held by the substrate holder 7 and then housed in the first substrate holder cassette 3a arranged in the transfer chamber 9.
After that, each substrate 2 is carried into the film forming chamber 6 together with the substrate holder 7 by the carrying member 8 through the gate valve 10,
It is formed into a film. When forming a film, the substrate holder 7 is rotated by the rotating means 14. A shutter 11 is provided above the evaporation source 11. Also, evaporation source 1
It is desirable that the number 1 and the arrangement of 1 are changed according to the size of the substrate 2 on which the film is formed. The substrate 2 on which the film formation is completed is carried out from the film formation chamber 6 together with the substrate holder 7 and is stored in the second substrate holder cassette 3b arranged in the transfer chamber 9.

After that, the transport member 8 again deposits the substrate 2 requiring film formation from the first substrate holder cassette 3a.
When the film formation is completed, it is carried out from the film formation chamber 6 to the second
It is accommodated in the substrate holder cassette 3b. After that, the above steps are repeated until the film formation of all the substrates 2 accommodated in the first substrate holder cassette 3a is completed.

When all the substrates 2 for which film formation has been completed are housed in the second substrate holder cassette 3b, the transfer member 8 again carries the substrate 2 into another film formation chamber (not shown) and is carried in. A thin film made of another film forming material is formed on the substrate 2. The substrate 2 for which film formation has been completed is carried out from the film formation chamber in the same manner as described above, and the first substrate holder cassette 3 which is already empty.
It is accommodated in a. This process is repeated until the film formation of all the substrates 2 accommodated in the second substrate holder cassette 3b is completed in the same manner as above.

After that, after the above steps are repeated until a desired number of thin films are stacked, the thin films are taken out of the transfer chamber 9 and completed by the thin film manufacturing apparatus 21.

[0065]

EXAMPLES Examples using the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the first and second embodiments will be described below. In the following embodiments, common members will be described using the same reference numerals.

Example 1 Example 1 is an example in which an organic EL element was manufactured using the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. It should be noted that the organic E produced in Example 1 is shown in FIG.
The schematic sectional drawing of L element is shown.

First, a glass substrate 32 having a thickness of 0.7 mm, on which an ITO transparent electrode 33 (hole injection electrode) having a thickness of about 150 nm is formed, is formed into 64 × 64 pixels (1 pixel = 1 × 1 mm).
Was patterned so that

After that, the glass substrate 32 is replaced with a neutral detergent,
Ultrasonic cleaning with water and isopropyl alcohol, then pulling out from isopropanol vapor and drying, UV irradiation device (excimer lamp: about 172 nm)
(Xe ₂ ^* ), irradiance: about 10 mW / cm ² ) for about 30 minutes.

After the pressure inside the film forming chamber 6 is reduced to about 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ Torr or less, the five glass substrates 32 are fixed to the five substrate holders 7, respectively, and then the first substrate holder cassette in the transfer chamber 9 is set. It was housed in 3a. After that, as shown in FIG. 1, the first substrate holder cassette was loaded into the film forming chamber 6 by the transport member 8 (transport robot).

In the film forming chamber 6, a Knudsen cell was used as the evaporation source 11, and the Knudsen cell was arranged at a position where the line connecting the center of the opening and the center of the glass substrate 32 was perpendicular to the substrate surface. The distance from the opening of the evaporation source 11 to the substrate surface was about 350 mm.

Then, while rotating the glass substrate 32 while rotating the first substrate holder cassette 3a by the rotating means 14, 4, 4 ', 4 ", -Tris (-N- (3-
Methylphenyl) -N-phenylamino) triphenylamine (hereinafter, m-MTDATA) is deposited at a deposition rate of about 0.3.
nm / sec. Was evaporated to a thickness of about 20 nm to form a hole injection layer 34.

Next, the glass substrate 32 on which the film formation is completed
Was horizontally slid along with the substrate holder 7 by the transfer member 5, and was put into the second substrate holder cassette 3b.
The same process was repeated, and after the film formation and transfer to the second substrate holder cassette 3b for all five sheets were completed, the entire second substrate holder cassette 3b was carried out to the transfer chamber 9.

Then, the second substrate holder cassette 3b is carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown), and N, N'-diphenyl-N, N'-m-tolyl-4,4'-diamino-1. ，
Deposition rate of 1'-biphenyl (TPD) is about 0.3.
nm / sec. Was evaporated to a thickness of about 40 nm to form a hole transport layer 35. Next, the glass substrate 2 on which film formation has been completed
Was horizontally slid together with the substrate holder 7 by the transfer member 5, and was put into the first substrate holder cassette 3a which had been transported to the next film forming chamber for transfer. The same process is repeated and the film formation and the first substrate holder cassette 3 for all five
After the transfer to "a" was completed, the first substrate holder cassette 3a and the first substrate holder cassette 3a were carried out to the transfer chamber 9.

Thereafter, the first substrate holder cassette 3a is carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown), and tris (8-quinolinolato) aluminum (hereinafter, Alq3) is deposited at a deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. To a thickness of about 60 nm to form an electron injecting / transporting / light emitting layer 36. Next, the glass substrate 32 on which the film formation was completed was slid sideways together with the substrate holder 7 by the transfer member 5, and was put into the second substrate holder cassette 3b which had been transported to the next film formation chamber for transfer. . The same process was repeated, and after the film formation and transfer to the second substrate holder cassette 3b for all five sheets were completed, the entire second substrate holder cassette 3b was carried out to the transfer chamber 9.

After that, the second substrate holder cassette is carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown), and MgAg (Ag: about 10).
(at%) was formed into a film having a thickness of about 200 nm to form an electron injection electrode 37. Next, the glass substrate 2 on which the film formation is completed is
The first member was slid sideways together with the substrate holder 7 by the transfer member 5 and was transferred to the next film forming chamber for transfer.
It was placed in the substrate holder cassette 3a. The same steps are repeated, and after the film formation and transfer to the first substrate holder cassette 3a are completed for all five substrates, the first substrate holder cassette 3
The whole a was carried out to the transfer chamber 9 and taken out of the apparatus to obtain the organic EL element 31 shown in FIG.

With respect to the five organic EL elements 31 thus obtained, the brightness when all the pixels were turned on at a constant current of about 0.03 mA was measured. As a result, the average brightness of each sample was about 105 cd. / M ² , and the distribution was within ± 5%. That is, by using the thin film manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to form an organic thin film having a uniform film thickness and film quality on the glass substrate 32, and as a result, variations in average luminance are small. Organic E
The L element 31 was able to be manufactured.

Comparative Example In the comparative example, five organic EL elements were manufactured by a conventional thin film manufacturing apparatus (not shown) in which the substrates each requiring film formation were sequentially loaded into each film formation chamber and film formation was performed. Was produced. The structure of the organic EL element is the same as that of the first embodiment described above.
The structure is as shown in FIG.

First, a glass substrate 32 having a thickness of 0.7 mm, on which an ITO transparent electrode 33 (hole injection electrode) having a thickness of about 150 nm is formed, is set to 64 × 64 pixels (1 pixel = 1 × 1 mm).
Was patterned so that

After that, the glass substrate 32 is replaced with a neutral detergent,
Ultrasonic cleaning with water and isopropyl alcohol, then pulling out from isopropanol vapor and drying, UV irradiation device (excimer lamp: about 172 nm)
(Xe ₂ ^* ), irradiance: about 10 mW / cm ² ) for about 30 minutes.

After depressurizing the film forming chamber to about 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ Torr or less, the cleaned glass substrate 32 was carried into the film forming chamber.

In the film forming chamber, a Knudsen cell was used as an evaporation source, and the Knudsen cell was placed at a position where the line connecting the center of the opening and the center of the substrate was perpendicular to the substrate surface. The distance from the opening of the evaporation source to the substrate surface was about 350 mm.

Next, while the glass substrate 32 is rotated, m-MTDATA is vapor-deposited at a rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. Was evaporated to a thickness of about 20 nm to form a hole injection layer 34.

Next, the glass substrate 32 on which film formation has been completed is carried out of the film formation chamber and then carried into the next film formation chamber, and TPD is used.
Deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. Was evaporated to a thickness of about 40 nm to form a hole transport layer 35.

Next, the glass substrate 32 on which the film formation is completed is carried out of the film formation chamber and then carried into the next film formation chamber, and Alq
3 was deposited at a deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. To a thickness of about 60 nm to form an electron injecting / transporting / light emitting layer 36.

Next, the glass substrate 32 on which the film formation has been completed is carried out of the film formation chamber and then carried into the next film formation chamber.
g (Ag: about 10 at%) was formed into a film having a thickness of about 200 nm, and the film was taken out of the film forming chamber as an electron injection electrode 37 to obtain an organic EL device 31 (see FIG. 3) as a comparative example.

About 5 sheets of organic EL elements 31 obtained by repeating the above-mentioned steps 5 times, about 0.0
As a result of measuring the luminance when all the pixels were turned on with a constant current of 3 mA, the average luminance in each sample was about 105.
The distribution was cd / m ² , and the distribution was within ± 5%, and it was possible to fabricate the organic EL element 31 with little variation in average luminance.

Comparing Example 1 with Comparative Example, in Example 1, the time required for carrying and unloading the substrate was shortened to one fifth, and the five organic Es were processed in a shorter time than in Comparative Example.
It was found that the L element could be manufactured.

Further, in each film forming chamber, the amount of film forming material consumed until reaching the target vapor deposition rate is reduced to one fifth,
It was found that the film forming material wasted was reduced as compared with the comparative example. From the above, it was concluded that the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is convenient for mass production of organic EL elements.

Example 2 Example 1 is an example in which an organic EL element is manufactured using the thin film manufacturing apparatus 21 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. The structure of the organic EL element is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and the structure is as shown in FIG.

First, a glass substrate 32 having a thickness of 0.7 mm, on which an ITO transparent electrode 33 (hole injection electrode) having a thickness of about 150 nm is formed, is set to 64 × 64 pixels (1 pixel = 1 × 1 mm).
Was patterned so that

After that, the glass substrate 32 is washed with a neutral detergent,
Ultrasonic cleaning with water and isopropyl alcohol, then pulling out from isopropanol vapor and drying, UV irradiation device (excimer lamp: about 172 nm)
(Xe ₂ ^* ), irradiance: about 10 mW / cm ² ) for about 30 minutes.

After the pressure inside the film forming chamber 6 was reduced to about 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ Torr or less, the five glass substrates 32 were fixed to the five substrate holders 7, respectively, and then the first chamber was placed in the transfer chamber 9. It was housed in the substrate holder cassette 3a. After that, as shown in FIG. 1, one of the five glass substrates 32 accommodated in the first substrate holder cassette 3a is transferred together with the substrate holder 7 by the transport member 8 (transport robot) to the film forming chamber 6
I brought it in.

In the film forming chamber 6, a Knudsen cell was used as the evaporation source 11, and the Knudsen cell was placed at a position where the line connecting the center of the opening and the center of the glass substrate 32 was perpendicular to the substrate surface. The distance from the opening of the evaporation source 11 to the substrate surface was about 350 mm.

Then, while the substrate holder 7 is rotated by the rotating means 14, m-MTDATA is deposited at a deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. Was evaporated to a thickness of about 20 nm to form a hole injection layer 34.

Next, the glass substrate 32 on which the film formation is completed
Was carried out to the transfer chamber 9 together with the substrate holder 7 by the transfer member 8 and put in the second substrate holder cassette 3b arranged in the transfer chamber 9. The same process is repeated for the remaining four glass substrates 32 to repeat the second substrate holder cassette 3
housed in b.

Then, one of the five glass substrates 32 accommodated in the second substrate holder cassette 3b is carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown) together with the substrate holder 7, and TP is set.
D is a deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. Was evaporated to a thickness of about 40 nm to form a hole transport layer 35. Next, the glass substrate 32 on which the film formation was completed was carried out by the carrying member 8 together with the substrate holder 7 into the carrying chamber 9, and was put into the empty first substrate holder cassette 3a. The same steps were repeated for the remaining four glass substrates 32, and the glass substrates 32 were housed in the first substrate holder cassette 3a.

Thereafter, one of the five glass substrates 32 housed in the first substrate holder cassette 3a is carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown) together with the substrate holder 7, and Al
q3 was deposited at a deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. To a thickness of about 60 nm to form an electron injecting / transporting / light emitting layer 36. Next, the glass substrate 32 on which the film formation was completed was carried out by the carrying member 8 together with the substrate holder 7 into the carrying chamber 9, and was put into the empty second substrate holder cassette 3b. The remaining 4
The same steps were repeated for the glass substrates 32, and the substrates were accommodated in the second substrate holder cassette 3b.

Thereafter, one of the five glass substrates 32 housed in the second substrate holder cassette 3b is carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown) together with the substrate holder 7, and Mg
Ag (Ag: about 10 at%) was formed into a film with a thickness of about 200 nm to form an electron injection electrode 37. Next, the glass substrate 32 on which the film formation was completed was carried out by the carrying member 8 together with the substrate holder 7 into the carrying chamber 9, and was put into the empty first substrate holder cassette 3a. The remaining four glass substrates 3
The same process is repeated for No. 2 and after accommodating it in the first substrate holder cassette 3a, it is taken out of the apparatus and then, as shown in FIG.
The organic EL element 31 shown in was obtained.

With respect to the five organic EL elements 31 thus obtained, the luminance was measured when all the pixels were turned on at a constant current of about 0.03 mA. As a result, the average luminance in each sample was about 105 cd. / M ² , and the distribution was within ± 5%. That is, by using the thin film manufacturing apparatus 21 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to form an organic thin film having a uniform film thickness and film quality on the glass substrate 32, and as a result, an organic thin film having a small variation in average luminance is formed. E
The L element 31 was able to be manufactured.

Comparing Example 2 with the above Comparative Example, the time required for carrying and unloading the substrate is shortened in Example 2 as well, and the five organic EL elements are shorter in time than the Comparative Example. It was found that could be manufactured. Further, it was also found that the film forming material wasted was reduced by the amount of time required for the production compared with the comparative example. From the above, it was concluded that the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention is convenient for mass production of organic EL elements.

Example 3 In Example 3, a thin film forming donor sheet was prepared using the thin film manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the prepared thin film forming donor sheet was prepared. It is the example which manufactured the organic EL element using it. Note that FIG.
FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the thin film-forming donor sheet prepared in Example 3, and FIG. 5 shows a state in which the transfer layer of the thin film-forming donor sheet is thermally transferred onto the substrate.
The configuration of the organic EL element is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and the configuration is as shown in FIG.

The base sheet 42 has a film thickness of about 0.2 m.
m polyethylene terephthalate sheet was used. This base sheet 42 was coated with a thermosetting epoxy resin mixed with carbon black as a photothermal conversion layer 43 for converting laser light into heat to a film thickness of about 5 μm and cured.
Then, poly-α-methylstyrene acid was coated to a thickness of about 1 μm as a heat propagation layer and a peeling layer (both not shown).

After that, the inside of the film forming chamber 6 is about 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ Tor.
After reducing the pressure to r or less, the five donor sheets are fixed to the five substrate holders 7, respectively, and then the first of the transfer chambers 9 is transferred.
It was housed in the substrate holder cassette 3a. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the first substrate holder cassette 3 a was carried into the film forming chamber 6 by the carrying member 8. In the film forming chamber 6, a Knudsen cell was used as the evaporation source 11, and the Knudsen cell was arranged at a position where a line connecting the center of the opening and the center of the base material sheet 42 was perpendicular to the surface of the base material sheet. The distance from the opening of the evaporation source 11 to the surface of the base material sheet was 350 mm.

Then, while the first substrate holder cassette 3a is rotated by the rotating means 14, Alq3 is deposited at a deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. To a thickness of about 40 nm to form an electron injecting / transporting / light emitting layer 36 (see FIG. 3).

Next, the base material sheet 42 on which the film formation is completed
Was horizontally slid along with the substrate holder 7 by the transfer member 5, and was put into the second substrate holder cassette 3b.
The same process was repeated, and after the film formation and transfer to the second substrate holder cassette 3b for all five sheets were completed, the entire second substrate holder cassette 3b was carried out to the transfer chamber 9.

Then, the second substrate holder cassette 3b is carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown), and TPD is deposited at a deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. Was evaporated to a thickness of about 40 nm to form a hole transport layer 35 (see FIG. 3). Next, the base material sheet 42 for which film formation has been completed is slid sideways together with the substrate holder 7 by the transfer member 5, and is placed in the first substrate holder cassette 3a that has been transported into the next film formation chamber for transfer. It was The same process was repeated, and after the film formation and transfer to the first substrate holder cassette 3a for all five sheets were completed, the entire first substrate holder cassette 3a was carried out to the transfer chamber 9.

Thereafter, the first substrate holder cassette 3a is carried into the next film forming chamber (not shown), and m-MTDATA is deposited at a deposition rate of about 0.3 nm / sec. Was evaporated to a thickness of about 20 nm to form a hole injection layer 34. Next, the base material sheet 42 on which the film formation is completed is slid sideways together with the substrate holder 7 by the transfer member 5, and is placed in the second substrate holder cassette 3b which has been transported into the next film formation chamber for transfer. It was The same steps are repeated, and after the film formation and transfer to the second substrate holder cassette 3b are completed for all five substrates,
The substrate holder cassette 3b was carried out to the transfer chamber 9. The electron injecting / transporting / light emitting layer 3 formed as described above
6. The hole transport layer 35 and the hole injection layer 34 become the transfer layer 44 of the thin film forming donor sheet 41 shown in FIG.

As described above, the thin film forming donor sheet 41 shown in FIG. 4 was prepared, and the thin film forming donor sheet 41 was patterned in advance into 64 stripes to form a glass substrate 32 (with an ITO transparent electrode). (See FIGS. 3 and 5). Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the light source 45 for photothermal conversion is attached to the donor sheet 41 for thin film formation.
And irradiate the stripe-shaped ITO transparent electrode in parallel from the side to thermally transfer the transfer layer 44 onto the ITO transparent electrode,
Then, the base material sheet 42 and the photothermal conversion layer 43 were peeled off. The light source 45 has a beam size of about 10
A Nd-YAG laser of about 8 W at 0 μm (1 / e ² ) was used.

Then, a film thickness of about 200 n is formed on the transfer layer 44.
m of MgAg (Ag: about 10 at%) is formed as a stripe on the ITO transparent electrode 33 so as to be orthogonal to 64 stripes to form an electron injection electrode 37, and 64 × 6 shown in FIG.
An organic EL element 31 of 4 pixels was obtained.

With respect to the five organic EL elements 31 thus obtained, the luminance when all the pixels were turned on at a constant current of about 0.03 mA was measured, and the average luminance in each sample was about 100 cd. / M ² , and the distribution was within ± 5%. That is, by using the thin film manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the transfer layer 44 having a uniform film thickness and film quality can be formed on the base material sheet 42, and as a result, there is little variation in average luminance. Organic E
The L element 31 was able to be manufactured.

According to the third embodiment, the thin film forming donor sheet can be produced in a shorter time than the case where a plurality of thin film forming donor sheets are produced by using the conventional thin film producing apparatus. It is obvious that the amount of wasted film forming material can be reduced. Therefore, it is concluded that the thin-film manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is convenient for mass-producing the donor sheet for thin-film formation, and thus convenient for mass-producing the organic EL element.

[0112]

According to the present invention, two cassettes capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates in an overlapping manner are provided, and film formation is performed on the substrate located at the bottom of one cassette accommodating the plurality of substrates in the film formation chamber. The substrate that has undergone film formation is sequentially transferred to the other cassette that is empty, so the time required for substrate exchange can be shortened compared to the past, and the time required for substrate exchange is also shortened, resulting in wasted film formation. Materials can also be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for schematically explaining the configuration of a thin film manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for schematically explaining the configuration of a thin film manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an organic EL element according to Examples 1 to 3.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of a thin film-forming donor sheet produced according to Example 3.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the transfer layer of the donor sheet for thin film formation manufactured in Example 3 is thermally transferred onto a substrate.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Thin film manufacturing equipment 2 ... Substrate 3a ... first substrate holder cassette 3b ... Second substrate holder cassette 4 ... Film forming device 5 ... Transfer material 6 ... Deposition chamber 7 ... Board holder 8: Transport member 9 ... Transfer room 10 ... Gate valve 11 ... Evaporation source 12 ... Shutter

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H05B 33/14 H05B 33/14 A 33/22 33/22 DF term (reference) 3K007 AB18 BA06 CA01 CB01 DA01 DB03 EB00 FA01 4K029 AA09 BA62 BB02 BC07 CA01 DB06 HA01 KA02 5G435 AA17 BB05 CC09 HH11 KK05 KK10

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. Two cassettes for accommodating a plurality of substrates in an overlapping manner, and a film forming apparatus for forming a film on the lowermost substrate of the plurality of substrates accommodating in an overlapping manner in one cassette, Each time one substrate is formed, a transfer member for transferring the formed substrate to the other cassette is provided, and the film forming apparatus has a film forming chamber in which a film forming chamber is provided. Thin film manufacturing equipment that is transferred. 2. A transporting member capable of loading and unloading two cassettes into and from the film forming chamber, wherein the transporting member carries in one of the cassettes containing a substrate requiring film formation into the film forming chamber, The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other cassette, which has been transferred, is unloaded from the film forming chamber. 3. The film forming chamber comprises a plurality of film forming chambers, and a transfer chamber provided adjacent to each film forming chamber, and a transfer capable of transferring two cassettes between the transfer chamber and each film forming chamber, respectively. The transfer member further includes a member, and the transfer member carries one cassette, in which the substrate requiring film formation is accommodated, into the film formation chamber from the transfer chamber, and performs the film formation of one layer on the substrate therein. When the transfer to the other cassette is completed, the transferred cassette is carried into the next film forming chamber through the transfer chamber, the next layer is laminated, transferred to another cassette, and carried out. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of layers are laminated on the substrate by repeating the above steps. 4. The film forming chamber comprises an evaporation source for heating a film forming material,
The thin film according to claim 1, further comprising a patterning mask and a shutter mechanism, wherein the patterning mask and the shutter mechanism are arranged between the evaporation source and the substrate, and a thin film having a predetermined pattern is formed on the substrate. Manufacturing equipment. 5. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each substrate is held in advance by a substrate holder. 6. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a substrate for an organic electroluminescence device having a hole injection electrode or an electron injection electrode formed on the surface thereof. 7. An organic electroluminescence element formed by the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6. 8. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a donor sheet for forming a thin film for an organic electroluminescence device, which has a photothermal conversion layer formed on the surface thereof. 9. An organic electroluminescence device manufactured by using the thin film forming donor sheet formed by the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8. 10. A device for accommodating a plurality of substrates in a stack.
Two cassettes, a film forming apparatus having a film forming chamber for forming a film on the substrate, and a transfer member capable of transferring the substrate between the cassette and the film forming chamber, and the transfer member is housed in one cassette. A thin film manufacturing apparatus that carries the substrate requiring the film formation into a film forming chamber, and when the film formation of the substrate is completed, the substrate is carried out to the other cassette. 11. The film forming chamber comprises a plurality of film forming chambers, and further comprises a transfer chamber provided adjacent to each film forming chamber in which two cassettes are arranged, and the transfer member is one cassette from one cassette.
A substrate that has been loaded into one deposition chamber and has completed deposition of one layer is loaded into the next deposition chamber via the other cassette in the transport chamber, and the next layer is stacked to another substrate holder cassette. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of layers are laminated on the substrate by repeating the step of carrying out. 12. The film forming chamber includes an evaporation source for heating a film forming material, a patterning mask, and a shutter mechanism. The patterning mask and the shutter mechanism are arranged between the evaporation source and the substrate, and a thin film having a predetermined pattern is formed on the substrate. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the thin film is formed on the substrate. 13. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each substrate is held in advance by a substrate holder. 14. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the substrate is a substrate for an organic electroluminescence device having a hole injection electrode or an electron injection electrode formed on the surface thereof. 15. An organic electroluminescence device manufactured by using the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 14. 16. The thin-film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the substrate is a thin-film forming donor sheet for an organic electroluminescence device having a photothermal conversion layer formed on the surface thereof. 17. An organic electroluminescence device manufactured by using the thin film forming donor sheet formed by the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 16.